Prince Edward Island - Jewel Of The Maritimes

A recent visit to Rustico, Prince Edward Island in Canada's Maritime provinces was chiefly for genealogical purposes, but from a culinary standpoint the sparsely-populated island yielded some gems.

Sou'West Cafe in New London featured Portuguese curried mussels from Malpeque Bay, a very mild, almost paella-like taste. Madras curry powder usage, perhaps?


In rural PEI, fresh potatoes of the Kennebec variety are the thing. And boy, were they fresh. Homemade potato chips, an odd but tasty version of poutine (which included 'hamburg' meat and peas), and at Living Grace Cafe in Charlottetown, a traditional PEI meal of grilled codfish cakes, fantastic baked beans and a tea biscuit. The cakes contained little if any filler--just fish, potatoes, egg, parsley and a generous shake of black pepper. Fantastic.




At Blue Mussel Cafe in North Rustico Harbour, the wonderful blue mussels were served jardiniere-style, simply, with white wine, garlic, and broth. Then...nirvana. The Daisy Bay oysters--and I was looking at the bed in which they were caught while slurping them--were bar none the best of my life. They tasted only of the sea. It must be like visiting Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo and slicing a taste of fatty tuna. Just unreal.



So nice when the unexpected happens. Prince Edward Island is truly a step back in time, with only 150,000 residents, half of them concentrated in the capital of Charlottetown, meaning only 75,000 people on the rest of the Island. I would definitely recommend a visit if given a chance.

Sou' West
6457 PE-20
Green Gables, PEI

Living Grace Cafe
156 Belvidere Ave.
Charlottetown, PEI

Blue Mussel Cafe
312 Harbourview Dr.
North Rustico Harbour, PEI

Out of the few places in Canada remaining that are high on my list to visit, PEI is one of them, thanks for posting !

Nice! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks from me too. This is a place I hope to visit.

Thanks for the post, Katie, I've always wanted to visit PEI. You are giving me more reasons to plan a trip!

Josephine, I'm sure you meant jnm123 like I did. And I really am thinking of a trip to PEI. I have family not too far from there. I wonder what would be the best time of year to visit?

Boy o' boy, folks. The good thing about visiting Prince Edward Island, and the rural areas on the Island in particular, is that it's never, ever what you would call 'crowded'. People simply don't stop in PEI on the way to someplace else--it's basically at the tip of everything--a true destination. In fact, when Islanders talk about 'the big city', it's Halifax...in Nova Scotia!

Yes, in the summer there are a few cruise ships that port in Charlottetown, and most of those people make a beeline up to Cavendish on the North Coast for the Anne of Green Gables stuff, which is to be honest a little tired, like Santa's Village seems to be. Although we definitely are Anne fans, we drove by as Rustico was only 5 miles away, but did not investigate as that wasn't the purpose of our visit.

Other things to consider, if not for a summer visit, is that fall colors reportedly are quite early, traditionally last week September/first week October. Then from November through March, maybe even into April--forget about it. Unlike the relatively temperate climate around Juneau, Alaska, this island sports some absolutely brutal winters. I heard repeatedly from innkeepers and Islanders alike that the month of February is especially harsh, routinely -20 to -30 F. I know it sounds a bit romantic, but...uh uh, holed up for months at a time, like the Northwest Territories, would not be for me. In fact, at breakfast one morning at the B&B one of the couples--from Calgary, AB, said they had lived in Yellowknife in the Territories, and offhandedly commented 'we handled it, eh?' in typical Canadian fashion.

In closing, I would say mid-May to mid-October is the sweet spot timewise for a visit to this glorious island. Here are some non-food pics of a Rustico sunrise, sun burning off the fog over the mussel beds, and our inn, The Barachois B&B. Enjoy!

Thanks very much. Just what I wanted to know.

Dr. Debbie and I spent a couple of days a few years ago cycling PEI, something I recommend *extremely* highly! Beautiful, well-groomed trails, lots of lovely villages to visit, and, in several places, the smell of fresh potato chips from nearby small factories. (= I strongly recommend a visit: nothing like freshly made local potato chips.)

One place we loved was Rick's Fish and Chips in St. Peters Bay. Wonderfully fresh, perfectly executed traditional fish 'n chips, in a cozy, welcoming ol' timey place. Stay in a nearby motel and cycle all around.

Geo
http://ricksfishnchips.com/